Cow Mountain Extreme Lodge | Big Bear, CA
A network of pathways generated from an abstract experimentation with slope angles and patterns - which was then applied to the project site - serves as the driver for both the formal and organizational logics of the hotel. The plan relates to the network through the intersection of linear movements, allowing the buildings to become surfaces for winter sports in some places, and react to/supplement the landscape in others.
The generated network methodology applies to the project in section as well. While the overall plan of the project was derived from the movement and intersection of fast, medium and slow pathways, the section sculpts the building to create an experiential version of that network that is more readily recognized and used by the visitors. Walls fold into floor/roof planes, which are punctured or peeled apart to create both physical and visual sectional moves, varying in “speed” based on their qualities and uses.
The folding and faceting that creates the sectional quality of the project doubles as the structural system. By creating a continuous movement from wall into floor/roof, porosity is maximized, allowing not only vertical movement, but lateral movement primarily for visual connection to the landscape and adjacent enclosed spaces, and also physical movement between the arms of the project. The faceting of planes creates an aggressive feel to the project, giving it “faster” and “slower” atmospheric qualities depending on the quantity and quality of faceting. Glazing is recessed from all edges to accentuate the sectional quality when viewed in elevation.